Page 13 of Her Cowboy's Valentine

“It’s for your bracelet,” Liam said, his voice quiet, touching it on her wrist.

It was the one Michael had given her for Christmas when Liam had asked her to marry him. Over the years, Liam had given her a lot of charms, but this one might be her favorite.

“I hope you like them,” he said, as he revealed a second charm, one of two interlocked hearts. “These are us, and I hope you look at this charm and are reminded of how far we’ve come.”

Tears blurred her vision as she looked up at him. “Liam… it’s perfect. Thank you.”

Before they could say anything more, Mary and Jacob burst into the room, followed by a sleepy-eyed Aaron holding tightly to Jacob’s hand.

“We’ve got a surprise for you, too!” Mary announced, bouncing with excitement.

Rebecca and Liam exchanged a curious glance as Mary handed them a folded piece of construction paper. Inside was a coupon book, each page decorated with bright crayon scribbles.

Rebecca flipped through it, her chest tightening as she read the handwritten offers: “One Free Hug,” “Breakfast in Bed,” “Help with Chores,” and “A Family Movie Night.”

“You made this?” Rebecca asked, her voice thick with emotion.

“Yep!” Mary beamed. “Jacob and I worked on it all week. Aaron helped too. He picked the colors!”

Aaron nodded sleepily, his thumb in his mouth.

Liam chuckled, pulling all three kids into a hug. “You three are something’ else. This is the best gift we’ve ever gotten.”

Her heart full, Rebecca joined the group hug. The pies, the charm, the coupon book… everything had all come together in a way that reminded her just how blessed she was. They didn’t need grand gestures or fancy plans. All they needed was each other.

As they sat down to enjoy a slice of pie together, Rebecca whispered a prayer of thanksgiving. This was love. This was family.

Just then, there was a knock at the door.

Rebecca frowned. “Who’s that?”

“Don’t you know?” Mary asked. “Mimi and Pops are going to—” She clapped her hands over her mouth.

Liam laughed. “I have babysitters lined up. We can bring a pie with us to have for dessert, but I made us a dinner reservation.”

“Where?”

“It took some strings, but I got us into Angelino’s.”

Rebecca gasped. “I heard they were booked up for reservations weeks ago!”

“I might’ve given the owner some vouchers for free pony rides for their children, but…”

“Look at you, thinking outside the box,” she teased.

He drew her close as their kids ran off to greet their grandparents. “I will always do anything and everything for you.”

“I know, and me for you. I love you so much, my cowboy.”

“I love you more.”

CHAPTER 10

A month later, Liam leaned back against the fence post, watching the last streaks of sunset fade into the horizon. The ranch was quiet now, the animals settled for the night, and the kids had finally gone to bed after a long day of running wild across the pastures. The crisp evening air carried the faint scent of hay and earth, and for the first time in years, Liam felt like he could truly breathe. He had hired an assistant two weeks ago, and while Jacob Krimble was still learning the ropes, he seemed to fit in just fine with the other cowboys.

A soft laugh caught his attention, and he turned his head to see Rebecca walking toward him, her hair loosely tied back and her favorite old sweater wrapped around her shoulders. She carried two mugs of hot chocolate, the steam curling into the cool night air.

“You’re a sight for sore eyes, darlin’,” Liam said, a smile tugging at the corners of his mouth as she handed him a mug. “What’s the occasion?”

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